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Krystal Lee Courange

Stats

Full Name

Krystal Lee Courange

Class

Light Weight

Weight

135lbs

Rank

Blue Belt

Height

5'7"

Association

Ares/Nava

Academy

Nava BJJ

Connect

Biography

Krystal Courange was born April 11th, 1990. She started training Jiu-jitsu in 2012, when she was 22. Originally, she only helped her husband drill moves at home, until she realized it was something she really enjoyed.

Having to relocate for her husbands work, she has trained at 2 schools before finding, what she hopes is her final Jiujitsu home. Starting her training at Monstro Bjj, followed by The MMA Lab. Stating she is grateful to have the opportunity to have trained at both schools in her life and remains close with her past teammates and coaches.

Krystal now lives in Mesa, Arizona and trains under 2nd degree black belt Paul Nava, as part of the Ares BJJ team. Her professor, Paul Nava, is a well decorated black belt with a successful competition team. She believes with Professor Nava's knowledge and training regimen, her training partners help with preparation, and the continuous support of her husband, she will be the 2017 Blue Belt Light Weight World Champion.

Q&A Session Between Krystal Lee Courange and Elite Sports

Question: What inspires you about BJJ?

Answer: It's hard to think of one thing that inspires me. I just love Jiujitsu. I love how it keeps me humble. I love the lessons it teaches me every time I step on the mat. I love how it continuously reminds me that when I want to quit and feel like my body has no more to give, some how I'm always able to dig deep and push through it. It proves to me that I will always find the fight inside me as long as I don't give up.

Question: Who inspires you, past or present? Why do they inspire you?

Answer: So many people come to mind. Of course all the g.o.a.t’s like Marcelo Garcia, Roger Gracie, Cobrinha, the Mendes Brothers, Michelle Nicolini, and Mackenzie Dern. I like to put on their high light videos or just watch old matches. I love how they are always aggressive and fighting hard for the submission, without settling to win by points. I want to always have that exciting style of Jiujitsu.

Question: What are your goals for this year? Next 3 years? Next 5 years?

Answer: My 2017 goals are to win ibjjf Worlds as an Blue belt I will hopefully get promoted to purple. After that I plan on winning The Az state championships as a purple belt. Next I want to compete at Fight to Win. I just want to show the world my Jiujitsu. I love watching exciting matches and I feel like I have a fun style to watch. 5 Years from now I would love to be teaching some women's classes and still competing. Hopefully I will be able to travel more to out of state tournaments.

Question: Any major accomplishments you’ve been able to achieve in that time?

Answer: My first out of state tournament was the La Pro, which I was able to get Gold in the open weight and won $400. Hopefully in 2017 I'm able to compete out of state more.

Accomplishments:

White Belt:

2014 Arizona State championships: Gold

Blue Belt:

2015 Arizona International Open: Double Gold

2015 Az Southwest Classic: Gold

2015 Az State Championships: Silver /Open: Gold

2016 Copa Bella: Gold

2016 Az State Championship: Silver/ Open Gold

2016: Los Angeles Pro: Silver/ Open Gold

Question: How often do you train?

Answer: I try to make sure I train bjj at least 4x a week. I also do cardio once a week and weight training 3x a week.

Question: How long have you been training?

Answer: I started training in 2013 when I was 23 years old.

Question: 15. Do you have any advice for your competitors?

Answer: Try to overcome your weakness and learn from your mistake, work hard to improve them until you get perfect in those moves.

Question: What sort of gear do you usually keep in your gym bag before hitting the gym? Do you have different items for specific days

Answer: Obviously, my Elite Gi and my Belt. I try to make sure I always have mints and deodorant. Good hygiene is important. I don't want my teammates to dodge me because I smell bad. I also usually have my water bottle and vitamins in my bag. You have to stay hydrated in this Az heat. That's really it. I like to keep it simple.

Question: Do you have a go-to finishing move?

Answer: Yes. Of course. I would have to say an arm bar. I love catching it off of sweeps or from the triangle.

Question: What do you think it takes to be a champion in your sports?

Answer: A lot of hard work. But I think dedication is key. You have to want to win more than anything. You have to want it more than the person across from you, more than you want to sleep or party. You have to be dedicated to winning and build your life around that